Nightmare Returned
by Avery Taylor
Summary: When Annie and Emma are kidnapped, Pine Valley is thrown for a loop. After the fact, the people involved question what they really know and watch the people they thought they knew change before their eyes.
1. Chapter 1

Ryan Lavery felt so out of place in the Chandler mansion. He always had, for some reason, even before Adam married his x-wife. It was large and elegant, and blatantly showing off the riches that Chandler Enterprises provided that family – not exactly his type of house. He forced a smile as he sat down on the couch next to Scott, who tried to ignore him as best he could.

"Okay, we're all set up in the kitchen," Colby said, coming out from the kitchen with her father, Adam Chandler. She had a bright smile on her face. As much as she hated her new stepmother, her stepsister was another story. Ryan could tell they enjoyed each other's company. And Colby's siblings were all much older than her, so she probably liked being able to feel like a big sister.

Ryan checked his watch for the hundredth time as Adam stood by the window that gave a view of the terrace. His son JR sat on another one of the couches, pulling his son into his lap and inviting his wife Marissa to sit next to him.

"Didn't Annie say three-thirty?" Ryan asked. As if on cue, the four heard a car parking in the garage. Colby scurried over to the lights and switched them off, leaving the Chandler parlor in darkness.

The front door opened. "We're here!" Tad announced, inviting himself and his daughters Kathy and Jenny inside. "Um…please don't tell me some Asian girl is going to pop out and eat my face." Kathy giggled at her father's remark.

With a sigh, Colby went back over to the lights and turned them on again. "False alarm," she announced. Ryan sighed and stood up to greet Tad. At least one friend of his was in the room. He felt less out of place with Tad there. The kids, Little A, Kathy, and Jenny, had a little huddle to discuss what they got Emma for her surprise birthday party.

"Hey, Tad," JR said with a grin, giving the man who was like a second father to him a big hug. He was a lot happier lately, now that his cancer was in remission again. His hair was even beginning to grow back a bit. As uncomfortable as Ryan felt with the fact, Annie had saved his life with her bone marrow donation. Out of all the blood relatives and friends that got tested, it was more than ironic that his enemy stepmother would be the match. Annie had grown on JR and Colby a bit more after that. Colby was of course a tougher egg to crack, but JR was grateful for being given the chance to watch his son grow.

"When is Emma going to be here?" asked Kathy.

"I guess they're running late," JR said to his little half-sister with a shrug.

Ryan couldn't help but think that every second more that his daughter was with Annie was polluting her mind. Annie had done too much bad to be trusted in his opinion.

"You know what, I'll call her," Adam figured, taking out his cell phone and dialing his wife's number. He waited for several seconds, then closed the phone. "She's not picking up."

"She probably just doesn't want to have to say anything to give Emma any hints. I bet they're minutes away," reasoned Tad.

_They better be_, Ryan thought to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Slowly, Emma Lavery opened her blue eyes and found herself nestled in shaking arms. She looked up to see her mother, Annie Chandler, who was breathing heavily.

"Mommy?" Emma said timidly, sitting up. She glanced around the cold room they were in. It was dark, and the floors were hard concrete. "Where are we?"

"I don't know, baby," Annie stammered, pulling her daughter closer. The little girl noticed a bruise on her mom's face and also that she was not wearing the jacket she was before – it was on Emma. "Are you warm enough?"

Emma felt a bit chilly, but she wasn't even shivering. "I'm fine," she insisted. "But you're cold. Why are we here?" Annie sighed, her breath staggering and chest heaving. Emma could hear a whistling sound with each breath her mother took.

"We're in trouble, honey," Annie said with tears in her eyes. "But I'll protect you. I promise." Annie kissed her baby's forehead. Tears reached Emma's eyes as well.

* * *

"It's been four hours!" Adam boomed. "Where are they?!" He was pacing around the couches in the parlor, talking to no one in particular as the guests remained in the Chandler Mansion for police questioning. Scott looked at his uncle sympathetically. He never could handle these things well. But Scott wasn't one to judge. He was just keeping calm on the outside. In the inside he was yelling at himself to figure out who could have taken Annie and her daughter. He made a list in his head of everyone who hated her – a terribly long list – and then he narrowed it down to people who would harm Emma. That was where he found himself stuck. Who could not like Emma? She was an artistic, adorable little girl. She was only eight years old! How could anyone, no matter how much they hated Annie, take it out on her little girl?

That was when Scott realized it must have been someone they didn't know. It had to be. Maybe it was someone out for money. That would not be hard to believe with the profits that his family made through Chandler Enterprises. Maybe the kidnapper or kidnappers figured that with Emma at their side, Adam would want to get ransom money in even faster. Maybe they knew the relationship between Annie and the rest of the Chandlers and figured they wouldn't let Adam pay the ransom for just Annie, so they had to include Emma in the mix.

It had to be ransom. Who else would want anything to do with Emma?

* * *

"Jesse, are you sure you've got nothing?" Tad asked his friend for the second time.

"I told you already," Jesse said with a very blatant eye-rolling. "We got nada. Now please let this be the last time I tell you to just allow me to do my job, Tad. You've known me long enough to know that I am aware of what I'm doing."

"Aye aye, Chief," Tad said unenthusiastically. He sat on the couch in the Chandler Mansion beside Kathy, pulling Jenny into his lap and hugging her. He knew they were horribly confused. They had no idea the danger that one of their best friends could be in. He just wanted to get them home – away from this. It was too much for two little girls to handle, especially on a late night. It just turned eleven a clock, and Jenny was beginning to nod off in his lap and Kathy on his shoulder. He couldn't help but feel guilty as Ryan Lavery looked over from across the room, wishing he had Emma like Tad had his little girls.


	3. Chapter 3

"No, Erica, we haven't got any leads yet," Ryan said to his friend on the phone. Adam, JR, Colby, and Scott were sitting around the parlor quietly, serious expressions on their faces. Tad had gone home to put Kathy and Jenny to bed. It felt too awkward being the only one to say anything in a quiet room, so he stepped into the kitchen for a moment.

"Ryan…you know what Annie is capable of," Erica said slowly. "You really don't think this is a genuine kidnapping of Annie and your little girl, do you?

"Not for one second," Ryan sneered. "And this time, Annie is going to pay. She's going to get a sentence she deserves this time."

"Thank God for that," she said with a relieved sigh. Ryan heard a light voice in the background on Erica's end. "Oh, I'm sorry Ryan, I have a business call. If you want to, I can call you back."

"No, its fine," Ryan insisted. "Go ahead. Work."

"Alright," Erica said reluctantly. "Take care. And don't worry. They'll find Annie and throw her in jail. That's where she belongs."

* * *

A sleepy Emma sat in Annie's arms, blinking slowly and each time trying to keep her eyes open longer. She was such a brave little girl. Annie was so proud of her for staying strong. She knew for a fact that she herself didn't feel strong at all. She closed her eyes for a moment, her head tilted up against the cold back wall. A tear fell down her cheek.

Suddenly, Annie opened her eyes and the kidnapper was in the doorway, covered in a pool of dark shadow. Both Annie and her daughter jumped in surprise, and the man laughed. They couldn't make out a face, but he was not wearing a mask anymore, like the time before. Emma whimpered and hugged her mother.

"Who are you?" Annie asked in a quivering voice. "Please, if you want money, just—"

"Not money," the man said quickly, taking a step forward. "Just you two. My girls." At that, the man stepped forward and revealed himself. Right there, standing in front of her, was a man she thought was dead.

Terry McDermott.


	4. Chapter 4

Annie's eyes bulged as she looked into the face of the man who had scared her more than anyone possibly could. The man that tried to destroy her life. The man that attempted to take her daughter from her. As she pieced it together, it all made sense. When Annie woke up in the back of the mysterious car and the kidnapper was driving with his black ski mask on, he had an unconscious Emma in his lap. Annie lunged forward and grabbed her daughter, yelling at him to stay away from her. The kidnapper, caught by surprise, had pulled over and turned around to face Annie, who tried the doors. They were locked.

"Nothing more like that, okay hon?" he had said with a glare in a voice that was all too familiar. He grabbed Annie by the jaw and looked into her eyes. "You better play nice," he warned. "And do as I tell you."

At that, he smiled devilishly and jumped in the back seat on top of Annie. Emma, still drugged, fell off the seat as Terry's body met Annie's.

"Get off me!" Annie had screamed, tears running down her face.

"Shut up," he warned, slapping her across the face. He paused for a moment, then reached into the front seat for something and before Annie knew it, there was a cloth over her mouth and she drifted into unconsciousness.

That was all him. The man in the mask. It was Terry. Annie could barely wrap her head around it. Her breathing became staggered and rapid. Emma looked at Annie.

"Mommy, is that daddy…?" Emma whispered. Terry, hearing her, took a couple steps forward.

"That's right, Emma," he said. "I'm your daddy. I missed you so much."

"He's not your daddy, Emma!" Annie said urgently, pulling her daughter closer to her before she could run to the man who Annie once called her husband. "Stay away from him…he's a bad man. Emma, Ryan is your daddy, not this man." Annie turned to Terry, holding her confused daughter tightly in her arms. "You're supposed to be dead."

"Well, what kind of greeting is that? What about an 'I missed you'? What about 'oh, thank God you're alive, Terry'?" He took another step closer to them, now only inches away. Annie stood up, protecting Emma behind her and meeting Terry's eyes.

"How?" Annie asked. Terry let out a laugh.

"You know…I knew you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Between my brother and I, that is." He took another step closer. "Twins, remember?"

"Oh my God…" Annie whispered, her jaw dropped. "That was…that was your brother? Your brother died, and all this time you were…" Her voice trailed off. Terry glided a cold finger down Annie's cheek.

"You were always so smart," he said with a scary smile. Annie jerked her head away. Terry grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to face him. He shook her at every syllable of his words. "You're not getting out of here. You don't deserve it!" He glared at her for a moment, then reached behind her and grabbed Emma's arm. Annie and Emma both let out a scream.

"NO! Let go of her!" Annie shrieked, trying to push past Terry's strong hands.

"Mommy!" Emma cried. She struggled, making it hard for Terry to restrain her. He scooped her into his arms.

"Alright then," he reasoned. "Let's allow your mommy to choose. Who's first?"

"For what?" Annie sneered under her breath.

"I think you know what," Terry said with a smile. Annie's jaw dropped.

"No. No, you're not. You're not touching my daughter!" She took another lunge to grab Emma, but Terry stopped her with a sickening laugh.

"I guess that means you're first. But guess what, Emma?" He looked at the little girl, his eyes wide. "You get to watch."

"Uncle Adam," Scott called as he entered the mansion. "Uncle Adam!" Adam Chandler and his daughter Colby came running downstairs.

"What is it? Is it about Annie?" Adam asked urgently. "Please tell me they found her and Emma." Scott shook his head regrettably.

"It's not that," he said. "I just got back from the police station. They found the car. Annie's car was parked in the parking lot at Emma's school."

"So she somehow got a hold of another car," Colby said without thinking, getting an instant glare from both Adam and Scott.

"You can hold your tongue, Colby," Adam scolded her. "Whatever your feelings for Annie are, this proves that someone took her. She's your stepmother, goddammit!"

Adam paused, his nephew and daughter both surprised at his outburst. His eyes watered a bit.

"I'm sorry, dad," Colby said softly. She went upstairs. Adam stepped forward to face Scott.

"Please don't tell me you feel the same way she does," he said. Scott shook his head.

"No…if I know Annie, she's changed. She was messed up back then. And she loves you, Uncle Adam. Even if she did want to run away with Emma, she would never leave you. And I don't think she _would _run away with Emma. Why leave all she has here?"

Adam paused, pondering this thought, then smiled with a nod of thanks. "It must be ransom, then," he determined. Scott nodded in agreement.

"That's what Jesse is thinking, too."

"I will pay any sum," Adam mumbled. "Anything. I'll give away this entire house, my entire enterprise…anything to get her and her daughter back."


	5. Chapter 5

"Ugh, I can't believe this…" Colby mumbled to herself. She slammed her bedroom door behind her. Why did her father have to be so unsuspecting when it came to Annie? She was fresh out of the looney bin! Colby sat on her bed and then plopped down onto her back, grabbing a pillow to scream into.

"Your dad again?" she heard a male voice say. She jumped up to see Damon standing at the foot of her bed, then sighed with relief that it was only him.

"Way to scare the crap out of me!" Colby retorted. She stood up and put the pillow back in its place. Damon shrugged an apology. Colby sighed. "How are you doing?"

"I was about to ask you," Damon said. "What's the issue this time?" Colby gave him a glare. "Oh…your stepmother."

"Who else?" Colby shot. "I just didn't think she would take it this far – again."

"What do you mean?" Damon asked. He sat on the bed, having no problem making himself at home as he reclined again the headboard.

"She faked her own kidnapping," said Colby, sitting beside him. "And she's got Emma. Now she's probably halfway across the country with money, Ryan's daughter and a pretty damn confident head on her shoulders."

"How do you know she's faking it?"

"Are you kidding me? This is Annie Lavery!" Damon held his tongue on correcting her with Annie's last name. "She's capable of it. And she did it before."

"Well, did your dad find any money taken out of his bank account or anything?"

"Well…no…but still…" Colby said, her voice trailing off. She sighed.

"If that's true, she probably doesn't have much money or her credit card is traceable. Either way, she won't be able to get far without getting caught. If that is the case."

"Since when have you been on Annie's side?"

"I'm not!" Damon retorted. "I'm just helping you consider your possibilities. Your dad is a rich man, would it be so crazy if Annie was kidnapped for ransom?"

Colby seriously considered this for a moment. "I guess not…" she admitted. "But why not me or JR, God forbid? Why Annie? Why the young wife that more than half the public doubts Adam truly loves anyway? It just doesn't make sense…"

"Maybe she was easier to get to. And taking Emma would make it a bigger priority to pay the ransom, if it is a ransom thing."

Suddenly, Colby snapped out of it. "No! Annie is _not _kidnapped. This is all one of her plots. I will not give her any pity or let her stupid manipulations get to me like my father is doing. Annie is perfectly fine, probably in some Caribbean island getting a massage and sipping expensive wine."

* * *

Greenlee Hayward tried to relax, lying in her bedroom. She had taken a few pain pills for her back but there was just this constant aching in the middle of it that she couldn't shake. David knocked, then opened the door and walked in.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better, I guess," Greenlee said truthfully. She saw the look on his face and read right through it. "What's wrong?"

"I just saw something on the news," he said with a blank face. "There's two new people on the missing persons list. They say its probably a ransom-based kidnapping."

Greenlee waited anxiously for an answer, then finally spoke up as his dramatic pause lasted too long. "Well, who?!"

"Annie Chandler and Emma Lavery."

* * *

(I'm trying to get used to the name Little Adam will start going by this week, AJ)

* * *

"Dad, did they find Emma and Aunt Annie yet?" Seven-year-old Adam Chandler III asked his father, waking JR up from a lap on the couch.

"Not yet, Little A…" JR mumbled sleepily. The boy gave him a look. JR took a breath before correcting himself. "I mean AJ." The little boy smiled, his blue eyes lighting up just like his mother's used to.

Little Adam had insisted on going by another name after being teased by a kid in class, so he and Marissa figured they could get used to the abbreviation of Adam Junior. JR felt the same way when he was younger and everyone called him Junior.

"Hey, why don't you let daddy take a nap, sweetie," Marissa said, coming into the room. "I'm baking cookies, you wanna help out?" AJ nodded eagerly. JR smiled, watching his son run into the kitchen. Little Adam – err, AJ – was growing up. He had risen two inches in the past two months, and he was really starting to look just like his mother. His biological mother, that is.

JR sighed. He still could not manage to stop thinking about Annie and Emma. He found himself hoping that they were truly in trouble, just so he wouldn't have to see that he was wrong in starting to side with her. He truly did wish they were both alright, if they were in trouble. If it was a ransom case, he prayed for both of them to get out safely; he saw it this way not only because Annie was starting to grow on him and Emma was just a child, but also because if Annie was back to her old ways, it would break his father's heart.


	6. Chapter 6

Terry separated Annie and her daughter on opposite sides of him. Emma reached a little hand out towards her mother, crying.

"I swear, Terry if you hurt her…"

"What?" Terry said with a chuckle. "You'll kill me?" He threw his hands up. "Well, too late, I'm already a dead man." He pulled a gun out of his pocket and held it to Annie's forehead.

"I think I've got the upper hand when it comes to who kills who."

Emma took several steps away, her back hitting the wall. Annie froze, completely still. If it were just her, she would dare him to shoot. Adam would somehow find out and Terry would somehow get caught and go to jail for the rest of his life. As much as Ryan hated Annie, he was a good father and would manage to give Emma a happy life without her. But she had her daughter three feet away. Annie would not let him kill her with Emma right there.

"I do believe you volunteered to be first," Terry whispered. Suddenly, he spun around and grabbed a whimpering Emma, holding the gun to her head. Annie screamed. "Get the chair over there." He ordered Annie. "Now!"

Making sure to face Terry, her heart pounding, Annie stepped back and brought the chair over.

"Take a seat, Emma," he said with a maniacal fake kindness. Emma looked at her mother, then did as he said. Terry took a roll of thick packing tape out of his jacket and tossed it to Annie. "Tape her arms and legs down," he ordered. The gun was at Emma's ear. Both mother and daughter trembled with tears streaming down her cheeks. Annie taped her baby girl to the chair with shaking hands. Emma had her eyes closed the entire time.

"Keep them closed, baby," Annie stammered once she was done.

Terry grabbed Annie's arm, forcing her to look into his eyes. Then, he brought his other hand up and punched her right in the jaw, causing her to fall to the ground with a thud. Emma jumped.

"Mommy!" she screamed.

"Just keep your eyes closed, baby!" Annie cried. "Mommy will be fine…and no one's gonna hurt you…"

Terry got on top of her, pinning Annie's arms above her head.

"You know, I know why you started to hate me," he sneered. Annie ignored him, looking away. "I know. You were jealous." Annie scoffed. "You know you were," Terry argued. He moved his hands down, touching her waist then moving up to her breasts. "Because I liked being with those beautiful little twelve-year-olds from the soccer team more than I liked being with you."

Annie let him say whatever he wanted. She kept her mouth zipped shut except for the occasional whimper that had to escape because she was holding back tears so persistently that her throat hurt. It seemed he was going so slow on purpose, to torture her. It was working.

Terry's hand slid down his own body and he unzipped his jeans. Annie tried to fight him as he pulled her jeans down below her waist, short bursts of 'no' escaping her lips.

Then he forced himself inside of her, ripping her up inside, as her eight-year-old daughter sat crying with closed eyes in the chair across the room.


	7. Chapter 7

When Terry was finished with her, he stood up, looking down at Annie, who had fallen unconscious from the pain. He smiled, pulling his jeans up and refastening his belt. He looked over at Emma, who was shaking with fear.

"Hey," he whispered softly, getting on his knees in front of her with a hand on each of her legs. "You can open your eyes now."

"Mommy?" Emma called.

"Don't worry about mommy," Terry said, his tone rising. "I'm the one talking to you. Open your eyes.:

Emma did as he said, looking into the eyes of the man she once called her daddy.

"Hey, its alright," Terry said softly, rubbing the little girl's legs. Emma shivered as the man's hands went higher up her thighs each time. "You ready for your turn?" Emma froze.

Suddenly, there was a loud crack Terry's face turned blank and his eyes rolled in the back of his head. He slumped to the ground, revealing Annie behind him with the gun in her shaking hand.

* * *

Ryan sat impatiently in his apartment. For the thousandth time, he tried calling Annie on his cell phone, but it just kept ringing. He hung up, having already left several messages. It had probably been the worst two days of his life. Not only was Emma not with him, but he had no idea where she was. Where could Annie have taken her?

* * *

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Damon asked Colby as they sat on her bed watching MTV. Colby shrugged.

"Emma. Annie. Trying to distract myself," she said with a sigh. She looked at him for a moment. "You've been acting weird…"

"Excuse me?" Damon said with a short laugh. "How so?"

"I don't know, I can't put my finger on it," she said as she moved her hand under her chin. "Like you know something I don't, I guess."

"I know that this show sucks. Not reality. _Totally_ scripted," he said. He grabbed the remote and turned off the TV.

"Changing the subject, that's completely unobvious," Colby said sarcastically. "Come on, spill." She thought for a moment, then realized what triggered it. "You think Annie and Emma are really in trouble, don't you? You don't think this is a plot."

"Not just think…" Damon said softly, his voice trailing off for a few moments as he looked at the cream carpeting on Colby's bedroom floor. "I know."


	8. Chapter 8

Annie the black gun suddenly seemed to grow heavy in Annie's hands and it slipped through her fingers as an unconscious Terry hit the ground from the blow of the hard metal. Her eyes met Emma's both filled with fear. She got down on her knees and quickly began ripping away the tape.

"Mommy…you're bleeding," Emma sobbed. Annie did not take her hands away from the stubborn tape. She ignored the blood on her pants.

It seemed to take house before Annie got the tape off Emma's legs.

"Just hold still, baby," Annie assured her daughter. "I'm almost done." She brought her teeth to the tape around Emma's right hand and made a slit at the top, allowing her to rip it off more easily. She did the same to the other.

When freed, Emma jumped into her mother's arms, both of them crying. Annie stood up with her daughter's little hand in hers and fled the room as Terry began to stir. Outside of the room, anyone could tell the place was clearly some kind of warehouse.

"There's the door!" Emma screeched. Annie ran over to it and they both pulled on the handle with great force, as the door was old and stubborn. They looked out to a vast amount of nothing. The road was barely paved, and the rest of it was yellow grass and dirt. Annie cursed under her breath.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Annie noticed her purse sitting on a shelf. She ran over to it, her daughter at her side, and rummaged through the pockets. Finally, she found what she was looking for.

Her cell phone.

* * *

Scott walked around the Chandler mansion just to get his legs moving and distract himself. Adam was just a ghost since Annie was kidnapped, or kidnapped Emma, or just left…whatever she did. Scott liked to think she was kidnapped, but that would mean she was in trouble. So he didn't know what to think. He found himself more mentally successful being indecisive. He passed the parlor and saw his Uncle Adam sitting by the phone.

"Uncle Adam," Scott said with a sigh. "It's been two days."

"He'll call," Adam said quickly. "That bastard who took my wife and my daughter wants money. He'll call."

"Jesse said its usually only a day before the kidnapper calls. Three days is the cutoff."

"He'll call," repeated Adam. His wrinkled hands were shaking a bit. "What else would he do with her?"

"There are some sick people out there…" Scott sighed, getting quite emotional himself. "People that just want to…take people. Take lives." Adam stood up angrily.

"My wife is not dead!" he boomed. "She's in trouble! She's in some dark room with her baby girl, scared, alone, and in trouble! In _trouble_! And I have to be there to help her! I have to!" He took a deep breath, his heart pounding, before sitting down.

Scott paused, overcome with emotion. He couldn't pull this act anymore. He couldn't pretend like Annie was just a friend, or even just family. He loved her. He loved her ever since she moved in. He couldn't stop no matter how hard he tried. So who was he to dictate what his uncle thought?

Suddenly, the phone rang.

* * *

Ryan picked up his phone. "Hello?" he said tentatively, wondering who would be calling at 6 in the morning.

"Ryan," he heard on the other line in an exhausted, fearful stammer. He recognized the voice immediately.

"Annie, where the hell did you take our daughter?! Why the hell are you trying to pull this stunt again?!" he yelled.

"It's no stunt, Ryan," Annie said, crying. "Me and Emma are here…I don't know where we are but…"

"If you're telling the truth," Ryan said, not believing his x-wife for a moment. "Who did it? Who took you and Emma?"

"It's Terry," Annie cried. "It's hard to explain…but he's alive and he…he…he's alive and he's got us here and we don't know where we are and Emma's scared, and I'm scared…" Her voice trailed off into sobs.

Ryan frowned. Usually he could tell when Annie was playing him – but now he wasn't so sure.

"Where's Emma?" he said quickly. There was a bit of a rustling on the other end before he heard his daughter's voice.

"Daddy, please get us out of here," Emma begged. Ryan's heart sank as he almost felt her tears. "He hurt mommy...he hurt mommy and…" Ryan heard Annie on the other end, breathing heavily. "Mommy's getting coughs," Emma said. "Please daddy, come get us!"

"I love you, Ems, and I promise I'll get you out of there, I'll see you really soon!" Ryan assured her. "Now put mommy back on the phone, please."

Ryan's face was frozen. All this time. All this time he had been accusing Annie over these past couple days, she was in serious trouble with in the hands of a sick pedophile. _His daughter _was somewhere with Terry McDermott.

"It's me," Annie breathed after a few coughs. He heard her curse to herself. "Do you believe me now?"

"Annie, just stay on the phone with me, okay?" Ryan said, grabbing his home phone. "I'm going to call Jesse and see if he can trace you guys. You're going to be fine, Emma's going to be fine." He found himself holding back tears as he dialed Jesse's number. "Do you have your inhaler, Annie?"

"Yes," she gasped. Her breathing was getting worse. "Emma, honey, could you look in mommy's bag for her enhaler, please?"

"Alright, Annie, I got a hold of Jesse," Ryan said quickly. He held the home phone up to his ear, keeping the cell on his other.. "Jesse, I'm on the phone with Annie. She and Emma don't know where they are. They really were kidnapped, trust me. What do I do to trace the call?"

"Oh my God," Jesse said, taken completely by surprise. He heard rummaging on his end. "Alright, Ryan, we're tracing your cell now…alright…its loading."

"Okay," Ryan said, relieved. "Annie, we've almost got you traced."

Silence.

"Annie? Annie?! Annie, Emma, one of you, answer me! Annie!"

_Click._


	9. Chapter 9

"Come on, Damon, spill," Colby ordered. "Quit the silent treatment. You know something about the kidnapping, don't you?" She pauses as he doesn't answer. "Was it a real kidnapping? Another crazy Annie plot?"

"It's real," Damon said softly. "And…and I helped."

* * *

"Hello?" Adam said, grabbing the phone and putting it to his ear.

"Hey, dad," JR said tentatively, noticing the worry in Adam's voice. Then, it clicked in his mind who he was expecting to be on the phone. "Oh…sorry, you thought it might be…"

"The kidnapper…yes…" Adam whispered. He tried to chin up as much as possible. "So um…you called for…?"

"Oh, I was just wondering if there was any update on Annie and Emma," JR said. "I couldn't help but think…well, I know if it were Marissa and Little A, I would be ready to burst. Just making sure you were alright."

"I'll be alright when Annie and Emma come home," Adam says. "And they will. They have to."

"They will, dad," JR assured his father. "Jesse's got all his men out there, updated on Annie and Emma's descriptions and everything. They've got all the phones in your house wired."

"Thanks for being more optimistic than Scott," Adam said with a glare across the room towards his nephew. "But I guess…I don't know, this is tearing everyone's mind apart. Not knowing anything. That bastard Ryan still thinks that Annie actually kidnapped her daughter."

"Aga—"

"Yes, I know, again," Adam sighed. "She was…unstable back then. She would not do this to me, and she wouldn't take Emma away no matter how much she may not like Ryan."

"Alright, well try to relax as much as possible, dad," JR said. "Little A wants to say goodnight."

"AJ!" Adam heard his grandson correct on the other end. "Hi, grandpa!"

"Hello, my grandson," Adam said, not able to stop the smile from spreading across his face. "You should be in bed, shouldn't you?"

"I'm just about to brush my teeth," said AJ. "Did they find Aunt Annie and Emma yet?"

"No," Adam said after a pause. He took a deep breath. "But they will, Little Ad—I mean, AJ."

* * *

"Let us go!" Annie screamed as an unstable Terry grabbed her arm roughly. He took the cell phone from her and turned it off, then threw it on the ground. The screen shattered and the flip-phone broke in half.

"You know what this means," Terry said roughly, shaking her with a stong hand on each of her shoulders. He raised his arm and punched her in the face. She fell to the ground and he kicked her in the stomach.

"Mommy!" Emma cried, bending down to her mother and grabbing onto her hand.

Terry smiled at Emma. "Hey, its alright, Emma, you remember me being your daddy, right?" Annie's head tilted towards her daughter, her eyes focusing and unfocusing.

"Don't hurt her," she warned Terry breathlessly. Terry bent down and scooped Emma into his arms, forcing her into a hug.

"She's my baby girl, Annie," he said. He looked into Emma's blue eyes. "You know, you've gotten so pretty over the years…"

"Shut up!" Annie ordered. "Put her down! Don't touch her!" She tried to push herself to her feet, but Terry shoved her and stepped hard on her ankle.

Annie screamed in pain. _I can't pass out_, she told herself. _No, Annie, come on, stay awake_… The pain was horribly unbearable, but Annie forced her eyes open. _Why didn't I shoot him?_ She scolded herself. She made herself a promise that if it came down to it and she had the gun, there was no way she would _just _hit him over the head with it.

"You're not my daddy," Emma sneered. "My daddy's name is Ryan Lavery. Mommy told me! You're a bad man and you were _never _my daddy!"

A hard slap flew across Emma's face. She froze. Terry let her down, so she was standing on her own two feet. He bent down to her level and wagged a finger at her.

"Don't you ever talk back to your daddy, Emma."


	10. Chapter 10

(sorry its so short, I didn't have much time to write today but I wanted to put something. just so readers know, there will probably be a new chapter AT LEAST every other day.)

"Ryan, we got a trace," Jesse said successfully. "Somewhere in Loving County, Texas."

"Thanks so much, Joe," Ryan said, letting out a sigh of relief. "Annie hung up. there was definitely something wrong. But I heard Emma and she was scared and confused…and Jesse, you gotta find my little girl." Tears swelled in Ryan's eyes.

"I'm getting them to fire up the search helicopters right now. I'll put you on one of them if you can get here before seven."

"I'm out the door."

* * *

Damon motioned for Colby to sit down on the bed. He let out a sigh.

"Well, tell me!' Colby ordered after sitting down.

"Some guy at Cambias," Damon began. "I tried to tell you yesterday, but you didn't come up to your room. The guy…he offered me five thousand dollars." Damon said this like it was five billion dollars.

"What did he want you to do?" asked Colby, afraid to hear the answer.

"I had to get Annie and Emma in this alley," Damon said. "By Emma's school. Lure them in there, somehow. I guess. The day they were kidnapped."

"What?!" Colby shrieked. "Why the hell would you do that?!"

"I didn't!" Damon retorted. "Do you really think I'm that stupid?! Even though the guy said he had something to settle with Annie, I knew there had to be something else. And get this: he said he was her x-husband."

"Ryan?!" Colby exclaimed.

"Not, it wasn't Ryan Lavery," Damon said surely. "It was someone else."

Colby stopped to think for a moment. "Well, Annie did have a husband before Ryan. Terry McDermott."

"That was his name!" Damon said triumphantly. "McDermott." Colby's face remained blank, almost in a petrified way. "What?"

"Terry McDermott died over three years ago."


	11. Chapter 11

"I said keep your hand off of her!" Annie cried desperately. "Do whatever the hell you want with me, but don't you dare touch Emma! You can send her back! Back to Ryan…keep me here as long as you want. Get Adam to send you ransom! I don't care – KILL ME!" Annie had to stop to let her sobs escape. "Just send my baby girl back home…"

Terry paused. He dropped Emma's little hand out of his own, looking down at Annie. She could see the wheels turning in his head – through his eyes. He bent down to her level, and for a moment she thought he understood.

"You know," he began softly. "All these years apart…I forgot how beautiful you were." He stroked a cold, rough hand down her cheek. Annie had to fight hard not to slap him right then. "Remember what I told you? Before this one was even an idea?" he said, looking at a terrified Emma. "I told you that I wanted a baby girl that looks just like you. Just as beautiful as you. And I got it. Those blue eyes…that little smile that you always say looks like you mom, but I say it looks just like you…and the blonde hair." Terry reached out towards Annie's hair, running strands of it through his fingers. He brought his other hand up and touched her dark hair on the other side. His expression began to change. "I don't like the dark hair…I miss the blonde."

Suddenly, Terry's hands wrapped around Annie's neck, pushing her back to the ground as he climbed on top of her. He put all his weight into it as he strangled his x-wife, feeling her veins beneath his fingers. Annie choked and sputtered breaths, feeling her lungs start to abandon her.

"No!" Emma screamed, her eyes red and puffy. "No, no, no!" She ran over and tried to pull one of his arms away from her mother's neck with all her eight-year-old might. She pulled and pulled, but he was much too strong. "Please, stop! Daddy!"

With one last gasp, a red-faced Annie passed out and Terry took his hands off her, turning to Emma. "What did you say?"

"Daddy," Emma said flatly. She wiped away tears as much as possible, trying to avoid looking at her unconscious, maybe dead mother. "I said daddy." She didn't mean it. There was no way she would call this man her father.

Terry's face lit up. "That's right. I'm your daddy," he said, pulling her into a hug. "You're so beautiful, Emma…you're such a big girl…do you love your daddy? Tell me you love me, Emma."

"I love you," Emma said, completely without emotion. She took a longing glance at her mother, and sighed with relief when her chest rose and fell in slow but even breaths.

Terry hugged Emma again, his hands sliding down her back. "I love you, too…"


	12. Chapter 12

"How long?" Ryan asked impatiently, raising his voice to be heard over the roar of the helicopter.

"Less than an hour," said the policeman beside him. "Thirty minutes if we're lucky."

"What about the Texas police?" Ryan asked. "Shouldn't they be able to get there now?"

"Loving County is a small place. The population's like 60," said the officer. "We'll probably get there sooner than they do."

Ryan sighed. He let his face drop into his hands. He pictured himself bursting through the door of some abandoned shack and strangling Terry McDermott with his bare hands. Then he would kick down the locked door of a closet and Emma would run into his open arms, safe and sound.

"Hey, Jesse, any word on Annie?" Scott asked, surprised to see that Jesse Hubbard would show up at his door if this wasn't about the kidnapping. Suddenly, Adam raced into the foyer – the only time he left his spot at the phone was to check who was at the door.

"Is it Annie?! Did you find her?! Please tell me you found her!" Adam breathed.

"We may have," Jesse said.

"Oh, thank God," Adam sighed happily.

"Where is she?" Scott asked urgently. "She _was _kidnapped, right?"

"Yes, she and Emma were apparently taken…you'd never guess who."

"What bastard took my wife?! He's a dead man!"

"You're closer to the culprit than you thought," Jesse said with a frown. "Terry McDermott took them. He's alive. That's Ryan's word, though, he was the one who got the call."

"From Terry?" Scott asked.

"From Annie and Emma," Jesse corrected. "Annie got to her cell phone somehow."

"Why would she call them and not us?!" Adam boomed. Jesse shrugged.

"Ask her that if we get her back home."

"If?" Scott said. Jesse shrugged again.

"Just being realistic. Kidnapping is crazy business."

"Jesse…you get my wife home," Adam said, partially angered with an underlying sadness and urgency. Jesse nodded.

"I figured you guys would want to come down to the station. If we find them, that's where we'll take them first."

"After all they've been through, you're going to interrogate them before they even get a chance to breathe?"

"It's procedure, Scott," Jesse sighed. "Now are you two coming down to the station or not?"

Scott and Adam both grabbed their coats and followed Jesse out the door.

* * *

"I said…let her go…" Annie gasped as she came to. Her head spun and she felt her throat slowly closing up.

"Mommy has asthma!" Emma said urgently. She ran over to Annie.

"No!" Terry yelled. He grabbed Emma's hand but she slithered out of his grasp and ran outside.

"Help! Somebody, help me!" Emma screamed.

Suddenly, she heard a distant roaring. A large white helicopter quickly approached. She waved her arms wildly.

"We're here!" Emma screamed, jumping up and down. Terry ran after her and suddenly froze at the sight of the landing helicopter. He grabbed Emma around the waist and ran inside. They heard a policeman talking over a loudspeaker.

"This is the Pine Valley police!" he echoed in a commanding voice. "You're surrounded! Unhand your hostages and come outside with your hands up!"

Annie's rapid breathing prevented her from letting out a sigh of relief. She didn't even have the energy to protest when Terry stood by the door with his a small handgun in hand, holding it up to Emma's head.

* * *

Ryan was about to jump out of the helicopter when he saw Terry McDermott pull his daughter into the warehouse like that. Finally, the helicopter reached the ground. He jumped out immediately, along with the other police officers. Sirens could be heard in the distance as the Texas police began to arrive and surrounded the perimeter of the small warehouse. Their guns ready, six policemen and Ryan burst through the door.

Ryan's heart jumped into his throat at the sight of a gun held to his daughter's head at the hands of Terry McDermott.

"Daddy!" Emma cried, absolutely terrified. Annie was further behind them, drowned in a horrible asthma attack. Her face was pale as a sheet of paper and sweat poured from her forehead.

"What's wrong with the woman behind you? Is she poisoned?" one of the policeman asked. His aim not faltering, Terry shrugged with a slight smile.

"She has asthma," Ryan said urgently. "She could die if we don't get to her." He turned to Terry. "Let them go! Especially Emma…she's only eight years old!" Ryan was nearly crying. "Please, just let her go!"

"Sir, if you don't put down your gun, I will be forced to –"

Suddenly, a gunshot went off and Terry slumped to the floor. After the shock of it all, every eye in the room had turned to Annie, who was now lying lifelessly on the floor with a black gun in her hand, still smoking from the shot.

* * *

"Daddy!" Emma screamed, jumping into her father's arms. He had never hugged his little girl tighter. "Daddy, you have to help mommy!" Not letting go of his daughter, Ryan and the officers ran over to Annie.

"No pulse," one of them said. Ryan immediately pushed through the officers.

Ryan quickly lifted her head and tilted it back, trying to clear her airway. Emma got up and pulled Annie's inhaler out of her purse. She speechlessly handed it to Ryan.

"Come on, Annie," he whispered. "Don't do this to Emma…" He lifted the inhaler to her mouth and released the medicine twice. He waited for a moment then shook it and gave her two more doses. "Come on, Annie…"

"Daddy, she's alive, right?" Emma asked, crying.

"She's going to be fine." Ryan positioned himself on his knees and began CPR. There seemed to be no change. The six police officers watched and waited sadly, all of them knowing there was no use for what Ryan was doing. She was gone.

Despite their beliefs, Annie suddenly took in a short breath of life. Her eyes snapped open, surprised to see Ryan in front of her. For a minute, she thought it was 2007 again. They were happily in love, they got married, and they had a beautiful daughter. The pain in her foot startled her back to reality.

"Emma…" Annie whispered. "Where's Emma?" A bawling Emma pushed through the officers and bent down to hug her mother.

"Mommy…you saved me…" the little girl cried.

"I love you," Annie said. "I love you so much." She looked up at Ryan and mouthed a thank you. Ryan shook his head.

"No, thank _you_."


	13. Chapter 13

Adam and Scott sat nervously at the Pine Valley police department. They could hear little snippets of things like "kidnapped," "Lavery," "Chandler," "sending out descriptions," and "Texas," but they still couldn't piece together what exactly was going on. Finally, Jesse came to enlighten them.

"They found them," he said.

"Oh, thank God…" Adam said. He stood up. "When will they be here?"

"Change of plans, they're injured so my men taking them to Pine Valley Hospital."

"Injured badly?" Scott asked. Jesse frowned.

"Go to the hospital. They're bringing them in right now."

* * *

Annie and Emma were brought into Pine Valley hospital on stretchers, Ryan following close behind them. He held Emma's hand in his as Angie Hubbard approached them.

"Jesse told me you found them," she said. She smiled briefly at Emma, then turned to on of the nurses. "What do we have?"

"For this one," she said, pointing to Emma. "We just have a split lip, but we should check her over. For Ms. Lavery we have several flesh wounds and bruises, possible internal bleeding, and she needs an evidence collection examination."

"Rape?" Angie asked. The nurse nodded.

"Oh my God…" Ryan whispered, his blue eyes wide in shock. He held Emma's hand tighter.

The three nurses around a nearly comatose Annie wheeled her into an examination room, and Emma was wheeled nearby where Angie followed.

"We're so glad to have you back, Emma," Angie said with a smile. Emma smiled back slightly.

"Is my mommy going to be okay?" she asked, tears in her eyes.

"You're going to be fine, mommy's going to be fine…everything is alright, Emma. You're safe now," Angie assured the little girl. Ryan gave her a smile of thanks. "Now let me just clean this up for you."

Angie got a wet medical cloth and wiped the blood off Emma's split lip, then put some medication on it before covering it with a bandage.

"Does this bruise here hurt really bad?" Angie asked Emma, pointing to the bruise on her cheek. Emma shook her head.

"Not really bad."

Ryan realized this was harder for him than he thought. He had just saw that bruise was on Emma's cheek, and he knew by the shape of it that Terry had slapped his daughter. He would be fuming without his little girl at his side.

"Well, Miss Emma," Angie said. "You're all done getting patched up. Now…" Angie felt Emma's forehead. "You're a little hot, but it might be dehydration. When's the last time you ate, sweetie?"

"On my birthday," Emma whispered, her eyes down. "Thursday." Ryan jumped up.

"I'm going to go get her something from the cafeteria," Ryan said, furious at Terry for not feeding them for three days. He kissed Emma on the forehead. "I love you so so so much. I'll be right back." He ran out, determined to be back in the room with his daughter as soon as possible.

* * *

Adam and Scott Chandler ran into the main hallway of Pine Valley hospital so quickly that they bumped into Ryan Lavery.

"Have you seen them?! How are they?!" Adam asked, a hand on each of Ryan's shoulders. Ryan nodded.

"Emma's fine…physically, I mean. Just a bruise and a cut, thank God. And…um…little red marks on her arms…she won't say it but I know its from being tied up." Ryan looked about to cry.

"I'm sorry…what about Annie?" Scott asked. He and Adam both feared the answer. Ryan didn't respond. Growing impatient, Adam started running past each room.

"Where is she?!"

"Adam, stop," Ryan said. He stood in front of Adam, and the look on his face froze the old man in his tracks. "She's going to live. But she was beat up really bad. She's in the examination room now." Ryan took a deep breath. "She was raped."


	14. Chapter 14

Annie's eyes searched lazily through the room. She saw doctors and nurses walking around, poking and prodding her, wiping away blood and tending to bruises.

"Adam…" she whispered.

"You'll be able to see him soon, Annie," said a familiar voice. Annie's focus drifted to a kind pair of dark eyes. Angie Hubbard. "Annie, can you hear me?" Annie told her head to nod, but she wasn't sure if it really did. "Okay, Annie, we're going to give you a sedative so you can get some rest. We're done here. When you wake up, you can see Adam." At that, Annie let her eyes close. She could almost feel the sedative pump through her system as she drifted off into what she wished was a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Where's mommy?" Emma asked after they released her from the hospital. They remained in the building, though, for Annie's sake.

"She's getting checked up," Ryan said. He hadn't let Emma out of his sight besides getting her hospital cafeteria food. Now, holding his baby girl in his arms, he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to put her down. He walked into the waiting room with his daughter and sat down with her in his lap.

"What are you thinking about?" Ryan asked her, observing her distant look.

"What happened," Emma said softly. Ryan looked into her blue eyes, the ones that matched his so perfectly.

"Did that man hurt you? Did he touch you at all?" Ryan asked his daughter.

"It was weird…" Emma said, talking as if this was a secret that she didn't want to tell but felt she had to. "There was this." She pointed to the bruise on her cheek. "Because I was trying to help mommy."

"Did you _see _him hurt mommy?" Ryan inquired, making sure to hold her close so she wouldn't be scared.

"He hit her a lot," Emma said, starting to cry. "He kicked her…punched her…and the other thing the mean man tried to make me watch…but mommy told me to close my eyes." Emma's eyes drifted towards the red marks on her hands.

"Did he tie you up?" Ryan asked, choking back tears. Emma shook her head.

"He made mommy do it," she said softly. "I don't wanna talk about this anymore. I wanna see mommy."

"She's sleeping," Ryan said.

"I wanna see her!" Emma cried. Ryan hugged her, trying to quiet and comfort her, but she pulled away and ran across the hallway.

"Emma!"

* * *

Adam Chandler sat at his wife's bedside, watching her chest rise and fall in slow, even breaths. Looking at her, he couldn't help but wonder how someone who'd been through so much still remained so breathtakingly beautiful. He leaned over and fixed a stray brunette hair so that it was tucked behind her ear. Adam then sighed and rested his hand on top of hers.

All of a sudden, Annie jumped. Her eyes popped open and she looked like she was about to scream.

"No!" she muttered. She then saw that it was Adam beside her, a worried look plastered on his face. "Adam…" she whispered. He smiled at her, tears in both of their eyes. She reached for him and he wrapped her in a tight hug.

"I love you," he said softly. "So much."

"I love you, too," Annie said. "You have no idea how much I missed you."

"I am never letting you out of my sight again," Adam vowed. "I'm going to have bodyguards all over you and Emma. All the time."

"Emma…where is she?" Annie asked, pulling away from him.

"Mommy!" Emma screamed, rushing into the room as if on cue.

"Come here!" Annie said, her arms out towards her daughter. Emma jumped up on the bed and fell into her mother's arms. "Are you alright?" Annie asked.

"I just wanna be with you," Emma said, tears in her eyes.

"I want to be with you too, baby," Annie whispered. "Always. Every day." She looked at her daughter's face, gliding her finger down her cheek. "Are you alright? Really?"

"You're not," Emma said, barely able to speak because the tears were coming so heavily.

"I'm fine when I'm with you," Annie assured her. She hugged her baby girl again. "I just need you with me."

Adam watched the beautiful mother-daughter scene. He put a comforting hand on Annie's shoulder.

"Sorry," Ryan said from the doorway.

"Don't apologize," Annie said, giving him a glance with a slight smile. He stepped in, stopping at the edge of Annie's bed. "Ems, you okay?" She didn't answer.

"She just…try to understand she just can't really talk to anyone right now, Ryan," Annie said as kindly as possible. Ryan nodded.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Since when have you cared about Annie?" Adam asked. "This whole time, you thought she just skipped town with Emma."

"Adam, its okay," Annie said, squeezing his hand. "And I'm as good as I can be, Ryan."

"Um…Adam, can I talk to Annie alone for a minute?" Ryan asked unsurely. Adam looked at his wife for clarification. She nodded.

"I'll be right back," Adam said, not happy about leaving. He kissed Annie and the stepped out. Ryan took his seat.

"Ems…" he began. Her she turned her face to him, still resting at Annie's side. "You wanna talk to me?" She shook her head and turned it away again.

"Don't take it personally, Ryan," Annie said stroking Emma's hair. "She's been through a lot."

"You have, too," Ryan said. Annie looked at him as if she'd been caught with a bag of stolen money, but she nodded slightly. "I was just hoping…well, I'm sorry I didn't believe you before. Could you forgive me?"

"Ryan, I expected that…" Annie said softly. "I forgive you."

"Thank you," he said. "Have you eaten anything?" Annie was surprised at the question, and couldn't help but smile the slightest bit.

"No," she said. Ryan placed a fast food bag at her side.

"I knew Emma hadn't eaten and I figured you hadn't either."

"Thank you," Annie said, still quite surprised. "Big Mac, no pickles?"

"We _were _married once," Ryan said with a smile. For a minute, they smiled at each other. And the smiles weren't forced. They weren't the smiles of bitter enemies. They smiled at each other like they had years ago. It was friendly. It was nice. However, both had a sudden wave of awkwardness and broke the smile, letting their eyes wander.

Emma's breathing slowed.

"I think she's falling asleep," Annie whispered. "Thank God." She began almost talking to herself, almost thinking, but put it into words that didn't really mean to come out. "I feel like that…just like I want to fall asleep for the next week…or month…or year. Just avoid everything…"


	15. Chapter 15

(sorry for the switch, but due to the casting change Emma's eyes will now be brown! :D enjoy!)

Scott promised he'd stay and keep an eye on Annie while Adam left for a couple hours to make sure business was taken care of at Chandler Enterprises. She was sleeping a lot. Every once in a while, she would shudder or her mouth would form a silent mumbling cry. Ryan and Emma had went home despite the girl's tearful pleas to stay with her mother.

Annie suddenly jarred awake. She sat up in her hospital bed and looked frightfully around the room. She caught Scott's eye. He stood up and walked briskly to her side. He half-smiled. Tears in her eyes, Annie reached out and hugged Scott.

"It's okay," Scott whispered. "You're home now." Wheezing a bit, Annie took her inhaler from the end table at her side and breathed in the medicine.

"Sorry…" she said. "I um…got a pretty bad scare back…in the warehouse…"

"Don't be sorry," Scott assured her, grasping her hand.

Annie paused for a moment to allow her wheezing to stop. She then looked up at him.

"Where's Emma?" she asked. "Did Ryan take her home?" Scott nodded. "Good…" Annie said with a relieved sigh.

"Do you want to talk?" Scott asked tentatively. Annie looked down.

"About what?" Annie scoffed, trying to cover her underlying fear and anxiety.

"You know…" Scott said softly. "Just tell me what you remember. If you want to let it out, I mean." Annie paused, now crying, and hugged Scott tightly.

"I don't know if I can relive it again…"

* * *

Colby paced around her bedroom, wondering when her father was going to call or Damon was going to come back. She needed a distraction. She didn't want to just call her father; she was pretty sure that he would be focused on Annie. The fact that Damon knew all along who the kidnapper was started tearing her brain this way and that ever since he told her. Colby hadn't seen Annie in the hospital yet, but she heard from Scott that she was beat up pretty badly. Could she have prevented those injuries if Damon had told her sooner? Could she have been responsible for the traumatization that Emma would have to endure for the rest of her life?

* * *

"JR, I'm so sorry I wasn't able to speak to you earlier," Adam said once he finally reached his son on his cell phone.

"What is it?" JR asked. "Did they find Annie and Emma?"

"Yes," Adam said. "Annie's in the hospital right now."

"Thank God they found them," JR said with an underlying concern for both Annie and his father. "Is Annie okay? And what about Emma?"

"Emma went home with Ryan," Adam said. "Just some cuts and bruises. But Annie was pretty hurt…bruises all over…" his voice trailed off.

"I'm grabbing my coat now," said JR quickly. "To go see her at the hospital, I mean. Are you there?"

"No, but I'm going to be back there within the hour," Adam said regrettably. "I left Scott to stay with her, but she was sleeping when I left. I'm just getting something settled at Chandler so I can stay with her overnight."

"Overnight?" asked JR. "How bad is it, really?" Adam paused.

"Bad bruises. They said the scanned for internal bleeding, but didn't find any. The overnight stay is just a precaution."

"There's something else, isn't there?" asked JR, knowing his father too well.

"Yes," Adam said, pushing back tears.

"What did that bastard do?!" JR said angrily.

"He raped my wife." Adam broke off, his voice cracking with angry sobs.

"Who the hell is this guy?!" JR yelled.

"Terry McDermott," mumbled Adam.

"Her x-husband?" JR said with disbelief. "He's alive?!"

"Yes," Adam said softly. "Well, son, I have to get to work, but be there for Annie for me. She really needs her family right now. Be there for her like she was for you."

"I will," JR promised.

* * *

Emma sat stubbornly in her room, grasping a pillow in her hand. Ryan knocked on her door.

"Emma?" Can I come in?" he asked. He opened the door and peeked through at his daughter when she did not answer him. "Emma?" He sat on the edge of her bed, not wanting to try and hug her in fear that she would reject him.

"What?" she said gruffly. "I don't wanna talk." Ryan sighed, reaching over to take Emma's little hands in his.

"You can't keep all of this locked up inside of you," he said, concerned. Emma threw down the pillow angrily.

"What about mommy?!" Emma yelled. "Mommy is the one who needed someone to talk to! He hurt her, not me!" Emma began to cry as she thrust herself to a stand on her floor. "And its my fault!"

"What do you mean it was your fault?" Ryan asked curiously, worried for his little girl.

Emma's anger fumed more than that of an eight-year-old should.

"If I'm going to talk to anyone, it would _not _be you! It would be mommy!" At that, Emma ran through the door and into the living room. She opened the coat closet and slipped on a heavy red coat.

Ryan chased after his daughter and found her waiting impatiently at the front door.

"I want to see mommy." As she crossed her arms stubbornly, Ryan sighed and grabbed his car keys.

* * *

"How you feeling?" JR asked with a slight smile, standing in the doorway of Annie's hospital room. He hid his surprise at the bruises and scratches on her face as well as the cast-like boot on her foot; he pushed back his anger towards the man who caused all of it. Annie looked at him.

"Hey, JR," she said, glad to have another visitor in Scott's brief absence. He went to the bathroom and promised he would stop by the hospital cafeteria and get them both a piece of coffee cake.

JR walked over and stood at her side.

"Avoiding the question?" inquired JR. Annie looked down sadly. "Dad told me what happened."

"How much of what happened?" Annie asked softly. JR was about to answer, then wrapped her in a hug.

"Only two left!" Scott said triumphantly with and napkin and coffee cake in each hand. He noticed JR and a wave of slight awkwardness flew over the three of them. "I didn't know you were coming." He placed one of the cakes in Annie's and hand took a bite out of his.

"Dad just told me they found her and Emma," JR explained to Scott. "And he wanted me to tell you two that he should be here in about an hour."

Annie threw her tired head back onto the pillow behind her. "Why can't I just get out of here?" she mumbled.

"Just be patient," Scott assured her. "You will. In time."

"What are you, Yoda?" Annie scoffed. For a moment, as JR and Scott laughed, a slight smile spread across her face; but it left as quick as it came.

Suddenly, her blonde waves bouncing on her shoulders, Emma ran into the room. Her brown eyes were tear-coated.

"Emma!" Annie exclaimed, surprised. "I thought you went home with daddy?" Emma shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about what happened," Emma said, sitting on the end of her mother's hospital bed. Ryan rushed in and sighed with relief at the sight of his daughter.

"Don't run off on my like that, Ems," Ryan scolded lightly. Emma didn't even hear him. As she and her mother hugged tightly, Ryan saw an unbreakable connection between them. It was not just a mother and daughter connection, but also the connection of two people who can only understand each other, and no one else can relate. Only they knew what each other were feeling.

Ryan would never be able to compare to that.


	16. Chapter 16

"I'm sorry," Ryan apologized to Annie, stepping into the room. "She insisted on seeing you."

"It's fine," Annie said, looking at Emma with concern and hugging her. "I need her, too…" She hugged Emma tighter as Ryan, Scott, and JR stood nearby.

"When are you going to be out of the hospital?" Emma asked.

"Tomorrow," Annie said with a slight smile. "And then you can come and see me at Adam's house if you need to…not in this smelly old hospital." She looked at Ryan as if to ask if the idea was alright, and he nodded slightly.

"Can I stay here with you tonight?" said the little girl. Annie nearly shed a tear. Emma was being so strong – more strong than Annie ever thought she was. But once she peered through those eyes that matched her own, Annie saw the true pain. She saw that Emma and her pain matched just like their eyes. It tore Annie up inside that her daughter had to feel this way. Scott noticed Annie's distress and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Emma, you know, AJ has missed having you over so much," JR began. "Wouldn't it be cool if you guys could have a sleepover at Adam's house? Because me, Marissa, and AJ are living there now. That was you could see your mommy, too. But the only problem is we have to wait for tomorrow night." Emma grinned, and Annie gave JR a smile of thanks. As much as she would love her daughter with her, she did not want Emma spending the night in the hospital.

"How does that sound, Ems?" asked Ryan. Emma ignored him, to Annie's surprise.

"How long can I stay, mommy?"

"Angie told me we had to be out here by ten, so we've got about a half hour," said Scott.

"I don't want to go…" Emma cried, burying her face in her mother's shoulder. Annie hugged her.

"Emma…" she whispered. "I need to talk to your daddy for a moment. Why don't you go by the cafeteria and get a cookie?"

"I'm not hungry," Emma said stubbornly.

"Well…how about the gift shop? They have a bunch of stuffed animals, and you can pick whatever one you want," Annie reasoned. Emma caught the hint her mother was trying to make and hopped off the bed with a sigh. She kissed Annie on the cheek before following Scott and JR outside the room. JR waited nearby while Scott went to the gift shop with Emma. Ryan walked over and stood by her bed.

"What did you do?" Annie asked; she had never seen Emma so defiant. Ryan sighed.

"I guess I pushed too hard…in her eyes," he thought aloud. "I was trying to get her to talk about what happened. I thought it would help."

"This early?" Annie said with disbelief. "Ryan, she just escaped being locked in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere with a pedophile not even twenty-four hours ago! She's traumatized and honestly she probably only wants to talk to me right now!"

"Of course," Ryan scoffed. "If this is some way to see her more, its not working." Annie's jaw dropped, and Ryan instantly wanted to take back what he just said. He had forgotten the circumstances for too long a moment.

"Do you really hate me _that _much Ryan?" Annie said slowly. "Do you really think that I would use the fact that my daughter and I were kidnapped to try and see her more? What, do you think I'm going to run away with her now or something?"

"No!" Ryan argued. "That came out wrong, really."

"It better have," Annie said, half angry and half sad. "You have…you have no idea what happened…what he made her do…"

"What?" Ryan said, his blue eyes bulging. "He didn't touch her, did he?!"

"No, I told you I wouldn't let him," Annie said quickly. "Nevermind. Forget I said anything."

"Too late now. What? What did Emma have to do?" For a moment, Ryan stopped to think. Then the puzzle pieces pulled together in his head. "Does she know about…what happened to you?"

Annie stared at Ryan blankly, a look that told him his guess was accurate.

"Was she there?" The same look remained plastered on Annie's face. "In the same room?" By now, Ryan was almost crying with anger. "Annie, you have to tell me." Annie shook her head. "No, Annie, you can't just shrug me off like that." Ryan's voice began to rise and he didn't even realize it. "You have to tell me what happened! What did Emma see?!'

"Get the hell away from her!" Adam yelled, rushing into the room with JR close behind him.

"You better listen to him," JR said threateningly, stepping close to Ryan. After a moment of glaring at each other, Ryan turned around and left the room.

"Are you alright?" Adam asked Annie, taking her hand.

"I am now," she whispered. She pulled him down to the level of her hospital bed and hugged him, kissing him on the cheek and then tucking her tears into the crook of his neck.


End file.
